While there are around 10,000 monkeypox cases globally, including in nearly 60 countries that don’t normally see the disease, the threat level in Kentucky is considered low.
The illness is spread through close contact with someone who is infected, and health authorities note it’s far less contagious than COVID-19. And while effective vaccines, originally meant for smallpox, already exist, don’t expect to see anything like the mass vaccination campaigns that accompanied the rise of COVID.
"There will not be enough vaccine any time in the foreseeable future just to offer it to everybody in the public. The federal government is taking steps to ramp up the availability of it, but that will take a little bit of time. For right now, the general public is at no significant risk from this illness."Kentucky Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack
Kentucky Public Health Commissioner Dr. Steven Stack said, by the end of the year, officials expect to have enough vaccine to treat up to 800,000 people. Right now, there are only 300 doses in Kentucky, and they are only meant to be used in cases where individuals have been exposed to monkeypox and are at high risk of becoming positive.
Patients typically present with flu-like symptoms, including fever, headache, and malaise, followed by swollen lymph nodes and a rash.
Anyone who is worried about exposure should contact their healthcare provider or local public health department.
